“Finally, disturbing news out of Washington State. The Secretary of State’s office on Monday began making public the names of 137,500 people who signed Referendum 71 petitions two years ago to repeal a civil union law. The lawsuit designed to prevent the disclosure of these names, given the organized efforts to harass and threaten petition signers in Prop 8 and in Massachusetts, may have failed for now.

“But the two-year delay, we hope, has given the zealots time to cool their tempers and re-evaluate a strategy designed to intimidate people for exercising their core civil rights. Please pray for each of the 137,500 and for the people who disagree with their views. Democracy demands a culture of civic respect even when we passionately morally disagree.”

Will Kohler is a noted LGBT historian, journalist and owner of Back2Stonewall.com. A longtime gay activist, Will fought on the front lines of the AIDS epidemic with ACT-UP and continues fighting today for LGBT acceptance and full equality. Will’s work has been referenced in notable media venues as MSNBC and BBC News, The Washington Post, The Daily Beast, Hollywood Reporter, and Raw Story,